Kozuka with cursive script as theme

[Ron STL]

Hi Folks, 

 

Here is an interesting kozuka owned by a friend with a saying or something written in cursive script. We have been unable to make any headway towards understanding that it says. If anyone out there can understand and read what's written on this kozuka, that would be so interesting to us and possibly to the others reading this.

Ron STL  

[Fred Geyer]

I just wanted to say HI Ron !! miss seeing and talking to you !

 

Fred Geyer 

[SteveM]

舟囗囗生竹 

 

or

 

再々囗生竹

 

The first one feels close to 舟 (fune) but the top line continues down the left side, and on the kozuka it looks to be right in the middle and continues down the middle. This is closer to how you write 再, but obviously the top horizontal line is missing from the kozuka, so again I'm stuck. 

 

No idea what the whole text represents. Normally one would expect a tanka or haiku poem, but doesn't look like a poem to me. 

[Ron STL]

Thanks for the effort, Steve. It seems few people, even in Japan, have the knowledge to read and understand this script. As I mentioned, this kozuka belongs to a local friend we were simply trying to understand more about it. Marcus Sesko has publication available on understanding cursive based on how radical look when written this way, but I certainly do not need to buy a copy. I still sruggle using Nelson's. 

Ron STL

[k morita]

Hi,

 

冉々孤生竹

 

 

[SteveM]

Brilliant. Anonymous poem from the Han dynasty

 

https://eastasiastudent.net/china/classical/%E5%86%89%E5%86%89%E5%AD%A4%E7%94%9F%E7%AB%B9-bamboo-alone/

[Brian]

Morita san, the master as always

But Steve...WOW. You got all but one character. Fantastic sir!

[SteveM]

I was close... a few more years and I'll get the hang of it. 

[Ron STL]

Well, I'm also impressed. I thought we were at a dead end on this topic. Thanks for going through the effort of figuring this out. Much appreciated! It seems like very few people, anywhere, can figure out the writing form. Interesting that poets and scholars used this art form of writing.

Ron STL